Washington -- The Federal Communications Commission plans
to hold a public forum Feb. 4 on AT&T Corp.'s proposed $56.4 billion merger with
MediaOne Group Inc., FCC sources said last Thursday.
Cable Services Bureau chief Deborah Lathen is expected to
preside over the event, which is expected to include representatives from the two
companies, public-interest groups, cable open-access proponents and opponents and
communications-policy experts.
FCC chairman William Kennard said last week that he hopes
the agency will act on the AT&T-MediaOne deal by the end of the second quarter.
With MediaOne, AT&T would be the largest U.S. cable
operator, with 21.9 million subscribers. AT&T would also have a 25.5 percent stake in
Time Warner Entertainment, a limited partnership with 9.7 million cable subscribers.
